Prior to entering CrossFitNYC I thought of CrossFit as an intense workout with really heavy weights and something only extremely fit people could do as it was so difficult.
The below picture shows us after I took the intro class, if I look a little delirious it is because I definitely am.
The Intro Class
The Intro class at CrossfitNYC consisted of a brief chat from the coach on what Crossfit was, I won't bore you with the details as you have either heard someone talk about what it is or you have the power of google. After the brief explanation we got to the workout, it consisted of stations that you rotated through:
Kettlebell Squats
Sit-ups
Ring Rows
Bur-pees (my personal nemisis)
All of this was done on rotation, 3 people at each station for a minute at each station for a total of 10 minutes. There was also a rest station which was 60 seconds of pure joy. The amazing thing to me was during the 10 minutes I found I was really pushing myself. I was looking at the other 2 people at my station doing it and I wanted to keep up. The other thing that I found nice was 10 minutes while intense goes by very quickly. My impression of Crossfit was definitely off, as it was hard but I was able to finish the workout. If this description has inspired you to check it out don't hesitate, try it free.
After the workout was complete like any good workout facility they mention how you can join. Perhaps it was the exercise endorphin or the fact that Allison was in town but I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for the Elements on boarding class and check it out a little further.
The 3 Week Elements On-boarding
Elements as the on boarding is called meets 2x a week for 3 weeks and then you get 3 weeks to try out the box (gym) and see if it's for you. The description of Elements is that it basically gives you in depth learning of all the lifting techniques and gives you a feel for what a class is like but with a lot of attention as there are only 6 people in the class.
Allison heads back to Chicago on Monday AM and as I am getting for work, I pack my bag for the 1st Elements course that Monday night. The first class was fairly basic, almost easier than the intro class. We did some Air Squats, Kettle Bell Swings and some other body weight movements. I am not claiming that the push ups we did were easy but the first class was a lot less scary then I thought it would be. Fast forward to class 3-5 and I found myself quite challenged and learning what Crossfit is all about. From rowing 500m for time to Clean + Jerk and Hand Stand Push up, the Elements classes kept me interested and challenged.
One of the surprising things to me was how much Cardio is involved, not steady cardio ala the Elliptical which is a personal favorite of mine but running 400m followed by something weight intensive or rowing. Josh the coach we had throughout the 3 weeks, was very attentive and scaled everything (more on that later) so that all six of us could get an excellent workout regardless of ability. Many of the Crossfit workouts are named after women, and one of the Elements classes we did was Helen WOD (Workout of the Day) which consisted of the below:
3 Rounds for Time:
Run 400 Meters
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Pull-ups
Here is a picture of me after completing the Helen WOD, that's my I am worried if I will be able to walk tomorrow face.
The class was 3 men and 3 women, with the exception of a girl who is an avid runner (she is actually training for the NYC marathon), I would say the remaining 5 people were not athletic and were challenged by the things we were learning. I actually got to know the runner fairly well over the time we spent together, while she runs long distances she is looking to build strength and is also running a spartan race in the summer....cue Crossfit.
The final class of Elements consisted of us doing the Fran WOD which was easier than Helen but still very difficult. Despite the fact that the workout states 65 pound Thruster, I only did the 33 pound bar and frankly that was hard enough.
3 Rounds for Time:
21-15-9 (reps)
65 pound Thruster
Pull-ups
As you see that the workout has the word Pull-up in it, I want to bring up how Crossfit is scalable. One of my challenges is when I go to a class in NYC, everyone is insanely in shape and the teacher caters to those people without modifying any of the ridiculous moves for those of us who need that sort of thing. Within the confines of the Crossfit workout, I am able to push myself but also know my limits of what needs to be modified. An example of Scaling is: when Superfit people do Ring Dips like they are Olympic Gymnists, I do dips on a Box or V-ups to work the muscles but at my level. I can not do a single pull-up but you have the option of adding bands or a box underneath you as you build up.
One year from now who knows maybe I will be able to do a pull-up without scaling, at this point I would settle for a push up without my knees being involved. It was an exciting three weeks with Josh (the coach) and the other five people who I did the On-board with. I really liked how social and supportive everyone was. It was also inspiring that a competition team was working out next to our class so I got to see some crazy heavy lifting and hear a lot of grunting.
My final thought on the The Elements course is that while it was challenging it definitely teaches you that the most effective way to stay healthy and in the exercise game is by learning perfect technique and form for every single movement.
Graduating Elements
Now that I am officially an Elements graduate, I have 3 weeks to try out the classes, I am both nervous and excited to get started. I don't have any pictures of me performing any of the 9 main movements but I will work on that for future posts. Till then I leave you with a picture of CrossFitNYC.
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